An Announcement

Dear Hazen,

I'm really sorry that we fought so much a few weeks back. In reality, it was my fault. I didn't understand that you were trying to tell me that the schedule you had when you were 4 months old wasn't quite working anymore for big, strong, 1 year old you. I'm glad I finally took time out to listen. What a change it's been with you only taking one nap a day now!!! I was nervous at first, but it's working beautifully, because you sleep 13 hours at night, and 2 hours during the day. I'm doing my best to figure out the things that you want to eat- but I think I've got breakfast figured out- for now. You've been gobbling up an entire thing of yogurt and topping it off with a whole package of oatmeal each morning while we jam to music as it fills our new kitchen. You seem so much happier. I'm so much happier because I feel like I've got you back. To make peace with one another, I took you to Costco for one of your favorite meals- Costco Pizza and a Churro. Just so you know, you ate more than 1/2 of my piece of pizza. It's ok though- I got you back by eating most of the churro. You've been so delightful these past few days, even while dad worked. Thanks for reminding me that when in doubt, I just need to LISTEN. I love you more than life itself, little boy.

Love,

Your crazy mama.

A little teaser...

We got a new kitchen table. It's beautiful, and everything I hoped and dreamed for. It's counter-top height (Jason's in love, because it's "a table built for a tall person"), black, with a lazy-susan! For our first meal at home, I made T-bone steaks, Beets with grilled onions, and bought a delicious loaf of Ciabatta bread to dip in the special dipping sauces we borrowed from the Robison's. Happy are we!

**Take note of the linen napkins and napkin rings. I bought those when I was in Russia. The EXACT thought that went through my mind when I bought them was, "One day, I'll sit at my dining table with my family, and I'll want to use these. " A beautiful life deserves beautiful things, no?

A little more on the move...

So, the Lee family has moved, which I'm sure you've all realized. I apologize for my lack of blogging, but things have been crazy! We were emotionally getting ready to move for a while now- mainly because living underground was starting to really take it's toll on me, but also because while we loved the ward and the neighborhood that we were in, there wasn't really anyone in the same "circumstances" as we were. While it would be super friendly and nice of me, there wasn't a whole lot in common I had with my 75 year old next-door neighbor, and we weren't really hanging out, so I was really lonely.

Our prayers were answered in the way of a 3 bed, 2 bath condo, next door to our best friends, in a complex laden with other young, stay at home moms, with AC, and right in our price range! So, we did it. We packed up everything in a matter of DAYS, and moved. It's been super exhausting, and I know that you're all wanting to see pictures, right???? However, it's not quite done yet. Once we have the rest of our pictures hung, I'll post a picture, unveiling our new place. I will say though that it's awesome. We love it, and feel so at home.

We love living right next to the Robison's. It's so fun being able to run right over to chat, or borrow things. Next on our agenda? Getting keys made for one another. Hazen is in 7th heaven seeing Brown Jason all of the time. In fact, yesterday, Jason saved the day, and babysat Hazen so Aubrey and I could go to Swiss Days in Midway! Hazen absolutely loves him. We can't fully express how blessed we feel to be surrounded by so many people who care for us and our little family. What a great place we're in!!

Helping Daddy Baby-Proof

There's something that seems a little off in this picture- Jason is busy baby-proofing, all while Hazen helps!! Hazen loves to get into every cabinet imaginable, which is both dangerous, and slightly irritating. So, I had Jason install those cabinet closers we've had since the day Hazen was born!! Too bad he can overpower some of the locks.....

Not Dead

So, we're not dead, we've just moved. To Pleasant Grove, and it's awesome. Will post pictures, but I don't have internet connection yet. I also don't have a dryer that works, so I may or may not be using Aubrey's laptop right now. (Hey, Aubrey, you left it at home! Aren't you going to be sad tonight at work???) Did I mention that we live next door to our Robisons? (Use of our was intentional) :)

Will post more later. Life is better. HAL is taking only one nap a day, and it seems to be agreeing with him.

A Conundrum

I'm confused. I don't know if it's the fact that I'll "never" be totally happy with where I am, which I hope isn't the truth, but I've got a lot of inconsistencies in my life right now.

Why is it that right now I hate staying home with Hazen, yet the thought of letting some daycare raise my child makes me sick? I'm having such a hard time with him lately- I don't know what it is. When most other people are around, he's angelic. He has a great personality, he's fun, he's charming, but when it's just us, he turns literally into the spawn of Satan.

Why is it that I think he's more of a nightmare NOW than when he was a newborn and didn't sleep? I'm sleeping through the night, but my patience has never been thinner.

Why is it that when it's dinner time he'll eat anything you put in front of him as long as it's on our plate, too, but almost every other meal he turns away? He's turning anorexic. His eating habits are arguably the biggest challenge in my life right now. He'll love pears for two bites, then won't stomach them after that. I give him cheese, yogurt, chicken, bread, crackers, peas, carrots, pasta to choose from. Milk? Whine. Whine Whine Whine.

I honestly am at a loss. What happened to my darling baby, and why is he so awful when it's just us?

*BTW he's not teething. I'm pretty sure he's not learning a new skill. He doesn't have an earache. He's not sick. He's not growing through a growth spurt, because he would probably eat. And nap. Tylenol doesn't help. He just is making it really difficult to love being a mom lately.

An Irritated Letter

Dear Fly,

I hope you know you ruined my nap because you kept on landing on my back and it tickled. It was very rude of you. My baby was and is still slumbering sweetly, and I'm slightly exhausted, so I would have liked to sleep. Keep in mind that you're lucky. Because said baby is sleeping, I'm not going to risk waking him up by swatting at you. However, rest assured, the second he's awake, I'm going to hunt.you.down.

Sincerely,

Anne H. Lee

Shots Suck

Today Hazen got 1/2 of his 1 year shots. Jason was home, and as he hasn't been there for almost all of the shots Hazen's received yet, I decided to give him the pleasure of being there. Grandma gave him the shots, I took the pictures while he screamed, and Jason held him down. Talk about dream team. When we went home, we bought him a cookie. I'm not sure if it really helped. You be the judge.

In which we reflect upon how darling my babies are...

Ok, so maybe they're not all mine. And maybe they're not all babies anymore, but for as long as I have anything to say about it, they're all going to be my little babies forever!!

Sometimes being the Youngest Cousin is Rough...

HAL doesn't quite understand the storm that is Mia sometimes. She's so cute and wants to play with him, but at times it really freaks him out. For the most part, she's normally just wanting to play with him. Sometimes though, it's fun to tease. Warning to you, my dear, sweet, Mia: When HAL is 6'5, I'm not sure what I can do to stop him. :o)

The Presents

Hazen was given so many wonderful toys for his birthday! He is such a lucky little boy! We got him something to hammer, since he wants to be the next Bob the Builder. He's always banging on things, so we thought it would be a good choice to focus that energy. Joke's on us- now he just hits things like the TV and people's faces with the wooden mallet.

Also, the day after, whilst all of his toys sat sadly laying by, Hazen entertained himself for a good 25 minutes with a roll of wrapping paper. Awesome. Remind me not to spend $60 on you next year, kid.

All was forgiven though, because shortly thereafter, he was back to his toys. He love love loves them.

What a Wonderful Day, Pt. 3

The Cake

Hazen was able to have his very own birthday cake, made especially by....Dad. I was a little busy doing everything else, and it ended up that Jason pretty much made his cake. Hazen isn't as well-versed in sweets as his good ole' mom and dad are, but he sure had a great time playing in the cake. By the time we were done, there was frosting EVERYWHERE!!

I think that Hazen is so used to the "take a bite" part of the cake, that when it came time to actually dig in, he kept on leaning over his seat to try to take another bite. I tried to show him what to do, and I was shoved in his cake. He thought it was pretty funny.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet that my highchair was designed by a complete moron....it's DRY CLEAN ONLY!! In my defense, it wasn't listed as such on the box, I only learned about it a few months later. Needless to say, it should be illegal to make a highchair dry clean only. Also needless to say, I will be dropping it off at the cleaners tomorrow. It is filthy.
He was also really considerate, and wanted to make sure that Max didn't go away hungry....

What a Wonderful Day, Pt. 2

The Party

Hazen was so lucky! He was able to have many of his favorite people at his Birthday Party. Aunt Dadoo, Max, Abbie and Mia were there, Grandma was there, and Emily came- even though her husband wasn't able to be there! Jason and Aubrey were also able to come! We felt so blessed to enjoy a great evening surrounded by people we love and who love our little family.


We had Costco Pizza, which is always one of Hazen's favorites. We would have gotten the churros to go with it, but we didn't think they would travel very well. Hazen didn't eat nearly as much as his cousin, Max did. We're working on trying to get Max to teach the Halster.



Other than being the "Birthday Bully", making both Max and Mia cry, Hazen was the picture of perfection! Isn't he adorable?

What a Wonderful Day, Pt. 1

Hazen's birthday was such a great day! Jason was able to take the day off, so we could spend the day as a family. We felt that since Hazen spent the first 2 months of his life living at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, the day wouldn't be complete without going there to bring them some treats, and to remind them of our gratitude.

We brought Chocolate Covered Oreos (which were delicious!!) that Aubrey and I made that morning, and a scrapbook page with a few pictures of him then and now. I forgot to take pictures of everything, and I'm still kicking myself over it.

Hazen was able to get pictures with Charlene, his Nurse Practitioner who took such wonderful care of him. She was so fabulous- she'd call me at least one to two times a day, and would always spend some time with me and visit whenever I was there with Hazen. I will always be grateful to her.
We also saw Catherine. Catherine was my favorite nurse! She was absolutely hilarious. She's from the south, so we'd call her Paula Dean, because she sounds JUST.LIKE.HER. Whenever I had to leave the hospital for the day, and it was time to put Hazen down, she'd run over and scoop him up so she could have snuggle time with him. To be honest, she probably held him more than I did before he came home. It's so great to know that there are people who love your child so much when you have to be away.

After the hospital, we went to Toys 'R Us to buy Hazen his birthday presents. He had a lot of fun playing with the balloon in the car. In fact, all I could see were little legs and a green balloon the whole ride home.

I think it's safe to say that we sufficiently wore him out though, because he couldn't stay awake if his life depended on it!

Anniversary of a Miracle

One year ago was the scariest day of my life.

One year ago was also the best day of my life.

In the events that transpired after August 8, one year ago, I learned how much my Heavenly Father really loves me.

One year ago, I met a miracle.

One year ago, I began to learn how much my heart could love, and one year ago, I realized how badly it could hurt to have it all taken away.

One year ago, I began to really learn of true gratitude, and sheer bliss.

My life began one year ago.

Food Storage

Remember this post? Well, in the past 2 1/2 months, I've started trying to amp up my food storage. What with the prices of EVERYTHING going up, I needed to do my part to help my little family be prepared for anything. So, I listened to Heather, she helped me get started at this site, and look at how much my personal storage has grown!! I feel that I've failed at a week of grocery shopping if I don't save at least 40%. It feels so good that our grocery budget hasn't changed, but now our fridge and freezer is FULL, and we're having to find inventive places to put food in our pantry. I have enough toothpaste, brushes, soap, and deodorant to last us MONTHS, I'm working on getting us enough to last us at least a year- why not when you're paying no more than $.60 per brush?

Since Heather and Heidi were so kind to teach me how to do it, I'm willing to teach you, to impart my wisdom, and help your little family save some serious cash. However....*disclaimer, I might sound snotty in the next few sentences*, You need to know a few things:

1- This takes time; I budget at least an hour to two hours on Sunday nights. Plus, I go grocery shopping first(ish) thing Monday morning. Yesterday, the savings were so out of control, I actually was shopping from 7 am until 10:30. But, I got roughly $230 worth of stuff for about $95. Aubrey and I felt like we were literally STEALING from Rite-Aid!!

2- You're not going to necessarily save 65% the first time you go, and some weeks are better than others; This takes time to build up. I've been collecting the coupons in the Sunday paper since April 20th. (This was especially useful this week, when I actually got to USE one that was that old!)

3- I will take the time to teach you; HOWEVER, if you don't think that you're actually going to become committed to this, don't ask. It's like when people ask me about the mystery shopping, "Hey, I want to get into it!!", and I take all the time to explain everything, and then they never do it. That's really obnoxious. Clipping coupons sometimes gives me a headache, and if I'm getting a headache for you, you better use it. Case in point: Aubrey, my RGAFBILHTPF (sorry, use of inside jokes are irritating sometimes) asked me about it one week. The next week, I went to her house to clip. The next day, I accompanied her shopping. (See, she's following through...) She saved like, 69%- it was ridiculous. The following week? She came over to clip. The next day, we went shopping together; more great savings. Just two days ago? We spent an evening clipping whilst our husbands played the Wii, went shopping for 3 1/2 hours yesterday, and enjoyed the fruits of our labors. She's committed, and I appreciate her not wasting my time. :o)

So, interested?Go to the site above, and sign up for their 4 week $1 trial, then call me. Or not. But you will save money, and you will be happy, and you will be going to Disneyland with all of the money you've saved. Oh wait, that's just me.